Debt-ridden Spain to spend €1mn on riot gear

Riot police officers stand beside a barricade with their shields at Complutense University on the second day of a 48-hour student strike to protest against rising fees and educational cuts in Madrid March 27, 2014. (Reuters/Andrea Comas) / Reuters

The Spanish government intends to spend about 1 million euro on police riot gear, despite the country’s debt rising by 58 billion euro over the last year. Authorities worry about widespread protests they believe will grip the nation in the autumn.

Spain has become the protest capital of Europe. Just the first
half of 2013 saw in the region of 36,000 protests in Spain, with
Barcelona accounting for 2,500 of them, according to the Local.
Given the love of the populace to take to the streets, the
government is not taking any chances, with protests expected to
peak in the autumn.

The Interior Ministry says they will be purchasing equipment
ranging from riot batons to stab proof vests, while they also
want to buy water cannon to help deal with protestors. Law
enforcements said the water cannon are necessary, “given the
current social dynamic.”

"We have a problem with equipment," said Javier Estévez
of the Sindicato Unificado de Policia, the Spanish Police Union,
pointing to a protest last March that left 67 police officers
injured. "We don't have the best or even up-to-date
equipment," the Guardian quotes him as saying.

Amnesty International has been critical of the government’s move
to buy riot gear and water cannon, saying they could not only
lead to more casualties, but also inflame already volatile
situations.

"They say they buy this material to control disturbances, but
how exactly will it be used?" posed Amnesty's Ángel Gonzalo.
"In Greece we have documented how these water cannons, when
used a short distance, can provoke severe injuries and
commotions."

“The Spanish government is using the full force of the law to
suffocate legitimate peaceful protest,” said Jezerca Tigani,
Europe and Central Asia deputy program director for the
non-profit organization.

“The police have repeatedly used batons and rubber bullets
against demonstrators, injuring and maiming protestors and
bystanders alike. The police act with complete impunity, while
peaceful demonstrators and leaders of social movements are
continually harassed, stigmatized, beaten, sometimes arrested to
face criminal charges, imprisonment and fines,” Tigani
added.

Numerous protests planned over autumn

The Coordinadora 25-S activist group already has plenty of
protests planned for autumn. The next march is planned for
September 11, to mark Catalonia Day, while they are also planning
a three-day strike from October 21-23 to support Spanish
teachers. Protests are also expected over government plans to
impose heavy fines on those taking part in unauthorized protests.

There are also rallies planned to protest at the government’s
plan to limit access to abortions in the country, as well as
demonstrations against the monarchy with a
demand for a referendum as to whether Spain should become a
republic.

At Felipe VI’s coronation in June, when he took over the throne
from his father Juan Carlos, 3,000 anti-monarchy activists flooded the area in central
Madrid, EuropaPress reports. Waving the red, yellow and purple
flags of Spain's second republic, protesters demanded the
abolition of the monarchy.

There was a heavy police presence with 7,000 riot police
controlling the center of the capital with some 120 snipers
keeping watch, however the Local reported that people were being
detained just for saying the word ‘republic’ or for wearing the
color purple, which is associated with the anti-monarchy
movement.

Spain is crippled by
debt and has a staggering unemployment rate of 24.5 percent - and
even this is a two-year low. In comparison, the EU average for
those out of work is 11.5 percent.

The Spanish government has been looking to make widespread budget
cuts with overall spending in 2013 down by 40 billion euro. Funds
for almost a quarter of Spaniards who are unemployed were reduced by 6.3 percent, while
healthcare and education have also suffered.

The government is desperate for funds, and last month sold the
Catalunya Bank to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria for 1.2 billion
euro, one-tenth of the 12 billion euro of taxpayer money it used
to salvage the lender in 2012.

Although there are some small signs that Spain may be very slowly
emerging from recession, the country’s debt
rose by 58 billion euro over the last year.